From below
by GlitchintheMatrix999
Summary: Izuku calls, they answer. Crawling out from the deepest dephts, they line up to answer his commands. Aka yet another fic where Izuku has a quirk (but still gets One for All).
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Boku no hero academia. (Obviously.)**

* * *

The doctor adjusted his glasses. "I'm afraid there is no hope for him." He told the mother. His face was impassive at first glance, but inside, the doctor felt sad. And judging by the look on the kid's face, he wasn't the only one.

Midoriya Inko's eyes glinted with desperation.

"No! There must be some kind of mistake? The other kindergartners have all started showing signs but…" She argued, still hopeful.

Unable to accept reality. No surprise there. She was a mother after all.

But it was a reality that the doctor already knew. The kid hasn't even started showing signs of a quirk. And he had the extra joint. All clues were pointing in one way.

So he went on explaining to the mother, telling her about the nature of quirks and the important finding that showed that people with an extra joint in their pinky toe simply didn't manifest quirks. That's just how it was. Best to give up hope now. Her child was quirkless.

It was a lie. It was unprofessional, yes, something that could get him sacked if anyone ever found out. While partly it was true, there was a research, and it did show that most people with the extra joint didn't have quirks, it wasn't a hundred percent prediction. There have been cases now and again, where people who, according to this research, shouldn't have a quirk, manifested one.

But they usually did so before their fourth birthday.

Letting the Midoriyas hope would be cruel. It's better to acknowledge the hard facts now, to get over the shock and move on. The doctor hadn't lied because he wanted to. But he knew all too well what hope could do to a person. His own son had been quirkless, yet he had never given up. He had always thought that he would one day discover his quirk. "I'll be a hero dad!" He had kept repeating. "You just wait! You'll see!"

Then he jumped off the roof.

So yes, lying was bad. But hoping was worse, especially when the chances were basically nonexistent.

Midoriya Izuku was young. He would get over it. And then, he could actually start living a life. A quirkless one, yes, but a life.

And yet, the doctor couldn't stop the pang of guilt that flared up in his heart as he looked into those wide, horror filled eyes of the kid. But it was for the best.

That's what he kept telling himself.

This lie was for the best.

And that was how Midoriya Izuku got diagnosed as quirkless.

* * *

Izuku stared at the screen. He had seen this video so many times, and yet, it still gave him goosebumps. He wanted to be like that. To save people like that. To have that fearless smile on his face, and be a hero. He wanted to be like All Might.

But could he?

He was…

Tears welled up in his eyes as reality came crashing in, reminding him of everything he was not. "Mom…" He turned around, pointing at the screen where the video was still playing. "A supercool hero like that…" his breath hitched, "that's what I wanna be too."

He was still hoping. Hoping that mom would believe in him. She would always believe in him right? No matter what.

Mom has always believed in him before.

Not this time. His own mother gave up on him, hugging him, crying, apologizing.

Desperation filled Izuku, washing away everything else he had been feeling. All the hope, gone, just like that. Only darkness remaining. He couldn't hold it back anymore, and he started crying.

Just outside the apartment, something strange happened at that moment. A crack appeared on the pavement. First, it was small, then it slowly started spreading, a lump appearing and getting bigger and bigger every second.

As if something was trying to get out from under it.

But then, inside the house, Izuku, exhausted by the day's events, fell asleep.

The concrete slumped back into its originally flat state.

* * *

The days after that, Izuku was in shock. He didn't feel anything. He still went to kindergarten, but everything was blurry. He remembered the kids flocking around him, pointing and… and laughing. They kept laughing. Their shadows fell on Izuku, and in those moments, darkness was all he could see. Their stares were burning him, and their mocking words were like knives stabbed in his heart again and again.

Izuku wasn't sure how low that went on. Maybe it was only for a few days, but it could have been weeks or even months?

But then, it all changed.

He wasn't sure what had happened. But somehow, for some reason, all the hoplessness, all the fear, the agony, went away the moment he saw it. It was Kacchan, standing above a crying child.

Izuku couldn't help it. His legs moved on their own, and before he knew it, he was standing between Kacchan and his victim, his own fists at the ready. To fight.

To protect.

All the pain forgotten.

Why?

 _Because the child looked like he needed help._

"Enough, Kacchan!" He said, and even though he was shaking, he stood his ground. "Y'already made him cry… Stop it!"

When that did not nothing to discourage Kacchan, Izuku took a big breath, and collected all his bravery. "I won't let you!" He shouted, not even noticing the few tears that fell out of his eyes.

Kacchan started laughing. The explosion he made when his right fist hit the left palm was bigger than the others before it. "So Deku, the quirkless wonder thinks he can play hero, huh?" He asked, mocking him with every word.

And that hurt. It hit Izuku right in the chest, and for a moment, he deflated. But then he heard a sob behind him. There was someone behind him who needed his help. Izuku knew he had no chance against Kacchan. And yet…

All men may not be born equal, but… but… he would still do all he could. Protect those he could. Even if it meant he had to get hurt in the process.

He braced himself for the hit, his whole body shaking and yet, not running away.

But then, there was a scream. The whole park froze, including Kacchan, whose fist was inches away from Izuku. For a moment, the boy was glad for the intervention, but then his eyes found the source.

The woman who screamed looked terrified, eyes wide, mouth hanging open. Her knees were shaking so much, that they gave out a moment later and she slumped on the ground. But her gaze never wavered, even as her whole body shook in fear.

They followed her pointing finger with their eyes.

In the back of his mind, Izuku noted that the kid behind him screamed and ran away, and so did the two boys that were with Kacchan. That was the logical reaction, what he should have done too. But Izuku couldn't move.

There was a skeletal hand sticking out of the ground, grappling for something it can hold on to. Not a moment later, the boney fingers dug into the ground, and started pulling. Slowly, the rest of the arm emerged. It was an arm completely made of bones.

"The hell? A zombie?" Kacchan sounded almost… fearful? No that's not possible. Kacchan was never afraid. Ever.

And then the smell reached them. The smell of decay and death, something that Izuku has never encountered before, and yet, he recognized immediately. But he still wasn't scared. Sick to the stomach, but not scared. Instead, he watched with weird fascination as the rest of the body emerged from the ground. First, a skull with glowing green eyes, then the other arm, followed by the torso of the skeleton. Then the skull snapped up, its hollow green eyes finding Izuku immediately.

And then suddenly, it was slowly crawling towards them, even as his legs were still underground.

"You… You wanna fight?" Kacchan screamed, taking a fighting stance, one very similar to what Izuku's looked like just a moment before. Of course, it hadn't worked for Izuku, but KAcchan wasn't a Deku, was he? And yet… a zombie?

Izuku knew he should be scared. Everyone else was. The park was in chaos, people screaming and running around, the sound of sirens echoing in the background. And the smell… it was horrid, making his stomach churn.

But still, as Izuku stared into the green eyes of the skeleton, he wasn't scared at all. He felt almost…. Safe?

Protected?

The skeleton's legs were free now, and it stood up, his ever smirking skullface never turning away from Izuku. Immediately after finding its balance, it started walking towards the boy, going around and completely ignoring Kacchan who was shouting taunts at it with shaky voice.

Izuku didn't move. Didn't try to run. He was frozen in place, staring back at the skeleton. His four years old mind had no idea what was happening, couldn't rationalize the events. So he didn't even try. He listened to his guts. And for the first time in his life, instead of the urge to run, he felt secure where he was. He felt powerful

Then the skeleton reached him. His arm reached out, one skeletal finger touching Izuku's forehead. "Pro… tect…" it uttered, although it was more of a clatter of bones than an actual word.

Izuku felt a lot of things at that moment, starting with the coldness of the bone on his forehead. A shiver ran down his spine, and his stomach was still churning. But there was an emotion that was stronger than any other. It was like a fire, burning in his chest.

It was something the four year old, small, weak, bullied kid has never experienced before. It was the feeling of power.

And then, the skeleton collapsed on the ground, the bones scattering and sinking back into the ground.

* * *

 _ **9 years later**_

Izuku never gave up. Using his quirk for being a hero seemed impossible, yes, but he refused to accept that there was no way. Which was why he kept taking notes, looking at and analyzing other quirks, hoping that if he could find an application for every other quirk, then one day he would find one for his too.

He never told anyone about it. That day in the park was written off as a quirk going haywire, but since nobody was hurt, the whole thing was quickly forgotten. Just one freak accident among many in the world of superpowers. Who cared about a skeleton when there were giants running around?

But Izuku knew the truth. Well, the public wasn't that wrong, it really was a volatile quirk, but not just anyone's. It was Izuku's quirk. He could feel it that day, and he knew it now. He has experimented with it a few times before, but… He could never…

The quirk was simply unnatural. It could reanimate the bones of the dead, and call them to Izuku's aid, and the older Izuku grew, the stronger the skeletons became, and the more of them crawled out of the ground every time he tried.

The funny thing about his power was that Izuku didn't actually know where the skeletons came from, as he could summon them wherever he was. He had a few theories though. Maybe he could summon them to himself, and they approached underground first, and then from there they climbed out? Izuku had no idea, but he was unwilling to experiment further just to find out.

Because even though Izuku never feared the skeletons, that didn't mean he accepted his quirk. Every experiment ended with him throwing up and not sleeping for days, his eyes seeing the lifeless green eye sockets even as he dreamt. They were always accompanied by the clatter of bones. And then, there was the smell. The horrible smell of decay that he could never quite forget. It seemed to linger in the air for a long time after the skeletons had disappeared, following Izuku around.

It was truly horrifying.

But it wasn't the worst part. Every time Izuku used his quirk, he would get this feeling of power, like he could do anything he ever wanted. Like he was holding the world in his hand, his skeleton army waiting at his command.

The feeling of wanting to fight. Craving a challenge, craving chaos.

And that? That scared Izuku more than anything before. All he ever wanted was to become a hero. To help people. So why did he feel those feelings every time he used his quirk? Wasn't it horrifying enough already?

The simple idea of using the dead bodies of other people just felt so utterly, horribly wrong and disrespectful, he just couldn't. He was ashamed, and he was terrified. Terrified what would happen if people found out that his quirk was controlling the dead.

It was a villain quirk. No. Worse than that. It was a quirk unfit for a human. A quirk that anyone with the slightest of humanity would find truly revolting.

And yet Izuku never gave up. He had decided to keep his chin up, and keep fighting. He would become a hero. Even if he had to do it quirkless.

But then everything changed. Izuku met All Might.

And then, he inherited One for All.

* * *

 **I feel like I need to explain? Izuku just reminds me of Nico from Percy Jackson so much, I can't help it. I mean look at that hero adoration. So for some reason, I felt the need to write this? But i didn't want to actually involve greek gods cuz bnha has enough plotlines as it is, so weird death quirk it was.**

 **Also, f** **air warning to you all, I don't know how often I will be able to update, since my university is like the worst hell ever. It will probably be the end of me. Oh well.**

 **So anyway, thanks for reading. Feel free to criticise.**


	2. The worst part of you

**I do not own Boku no Hero Academia.**

* * *

It all started with a slime villain. Well, actually, no it was a bit before that.

It started with everyone laughing at Izuku, making fun of his dream. Making fun of him, like always. But this time? This time it was even worse. Sure, Kacchan had beaten him many times over the years, but he never actually told him he would be better off dead before. That was new.

So yes, understandably, Izuku didn't think the day could get any worse.

Then came the slime villain.

If anyone asked Izuku why he had decided that grabbing All Might's leg was a good idea, he would tell them that he had acted on impulse. But in truth, he was past the point of caring. He felt stuck between bad and worse, and thought there was no way out. He simply had to do it, for his own peace of mind. He had to ask his questions. He wasn't sure he could hold on much longer to his dreams just by pure willpower. So he grabbed his idol's leg as he jumped, just so he could ask the question.

"I need to know." Izuku looked at the ground. "Can someone become a hero with the quirk of a villain?" He was shaking, the ever present tears in his eyes making an appearance once again. "I do not know why, but I think it's… it's really cool, being a hero…" His voice broke a little at that point "I wanna be a hero like you! Saving people with a smile!"

When he finally looked up, well, he was in for one hell of a surprise.

The man before him now resembled one of Izuku's skeletons more than he did All Might. For a moment, he didn't – couldn't – believe it was actually the number one hero standing before him. But, after a brief explanation, Izuku understood. He wasn't sure how to describe the feeling that took over him when he realized the truth. it was something of a mix between dread and sadness, with a hint of desperation on top.

"What is your quirk?" All Might asked, looking him up and down. "If it's suitable for a fight, then I don't see any reason why you couldn't be a hero with it. As long as you are willing to work with it."

Izuku clenched his fist. He wished he could. But it wasn't about him. He couldn't, with good conscience, say he would use his quirk in everyday life. "I am not." He answered, uttering every word with pain, unable to look at his hero. "I am willing to use it when the situation becomes hopeless, but I can't… I won't use it unless it's an emergency. That is why I don't… Why I wanted to talk to you."

He was almost afraid to look up. And when he did, he regretted it. All Might was looking at him serenely, and Izuku could already tell what the answer would be.

"You cannot become a hero without using your quirk. The work of a hero is just too dangerous, it's important to train your quirk for it. If you don't, then it may not be applicable when it all comes down to it. So, if you are unwilling to train with it, then you would better give up being a hero. But that doesn't mean you can't save people. You can also become a policeman, where they don't require you to use your quirk." His eyes bore into Izuku's. "But I don't believe in villain quirks. It doesn't matter what it is, what matters is what you use it for. If you truly want to be a hero, you have to accept your quirk. If you can't do that…"

He turned around, heading for the exit. "It's not bad to dream. But make sure it's realistic."

And that was it. His dream, shattered. There was no way he could… or would accept his quirk. How can you accept something like that? How can someone be a hero and then play around with other people's dead bodies?

He headed home with a heavy heart, deep in his thoughts.

Maybe he could become a policeman. That was a good job right? Not like being a hero, but…

Then there was the explosion. Maybe it was the familiarity of it, maybe it was simply because of his habit of chasing villain fights, but his curiosity got the best of him in moments, and he was already heading towards the source.

It had been a decision he would never regret. He may not have saved Kacchan, or changed anything, really, but All Might suddenly started believing in him. And that was all he ever needed.

"You can become a hero. With your quirk, and mine."

* * *

Two days later, Izuku met All Might at a seaside park at six a.m. in the morning. The whole place was filled with garbage, making it a really weird place to meet, but Izuku wasn't about to question the symbol of peace. And he ddin't need to.

"You are going to clear away the garbage." The hero stated with his usual smile.

Izuku felt his heart drop. All of this?

"I'll explain it to you later. But first…" The hero was still smiling, but his tone carried a hint of seriousness in it now, "I need you to show me your quirk." He held up a hand when Izuku tried to protest. "You only have to use it once. If what you say is true, then I won't force you to use it ever again." His everpresent smile faltered for a moment. "However I have hard time believing a quirk can truly be a villain's quirk." All Might put a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "If it wasn't for your eyes, I wouldn't believe you. But you can't fake such an honest conviction."

And suddenly, Izuku froze. It felt as though even his heart stopped beating for a moment. All Might wasn't serious… right?

But one look at the hero told him that he was. Izuku wasn't stupid. He understood: This was just something All Might needed to know before he gave him his quirk. Otherwise, how could he trust him? And he understood, he truly did. But…

Izuku cast his eyes downwards. "If I show you my quirk…" He was all too aware how he started shaking, however he had no idea how to stop it from happening. "I'm afraid you will be disgusted of me." He looked up, finding All Might's eyes. "I'm afraid you won't want me as your successor after that."

All Might was so shocked for a moment, he almost deflated. "Do you really think that low of me?" He asked, his smirk disappearing for a split second. "I chose you as my successor because of your personality and determination, not because of anything else. It doesn't matter what your quirk is, I won't change my mind."

Izuku nodded, but he was looking at the sand again, not being able to stand the look of the hero. He hoped it was true. Not that he didn't believe All Might, but… This was something else. His quirk was against anything human. How could anyone accept it? He surely didn't.

And he had never shown anyone before. Not even his mother. So why was he suddenly ready to show it to the number one hero, the person he least wants to see him as who he really is.

But All Might had put his faith in him. It was time to return the favour.

"Here I go then." He muttered. "Please forgive me."

To All Might, it must have seemed like he was apologizing to him, but actually, he was apologizing to the dead for what he was about to do.

Activating his quirk was easy, even though he barely used it. He closed his eyes, and searched for the feeling. The feeling of power. Then he pulled, with his mind, like one would pull with his hand. He grabbed the feeling, and pulled, feeling the familiar tug in his heart. He commanded. Commanded the dead to make an appearance. To obey him. To bow before his will.

He opened his eyes as he heard the first clatter. A skeletal hand already appeared in the sand. Then slowly, more and more appeared, the skeletons pulling themselves out of the sand with ease. They weren't in a hurry, as if they were trying to make an impression. And that they did. In the morning light, it was one truly terrifying sight, as one by one, skeletal hands hit through the sand, followed by arms and heads and legs, accompanied by the constant clatter that bones made when they made contact with each other.

But it wasn't terrifying for Izuku. For him, this sight brought another, entirely different feeling. He was filled with the sense of power. He felt like he was unbeatable. Invincible. His army was at his command. They crawled out of the ground, answering his call, and they were his. They would fight for him. They would do anything he commanded.

Twenty-four skeletons climbed out of the ground, and Izuku could feel a connection to each and every one of them. They were all ready to obey whatever he said. He could flick his fingers and they would tear each other apart just because he wished so. They would tear anyone apart if he willed.

The hollows green eyes, all fourty eight, were on him. They were standing still, not moving, not doing anything. Just standing there, waiting to be commanded, as the sun slowly appeared on the horizon, bathing them all in blood red. The army of the dead.

Izuku stared at them, giddy with the feeling of control. "Bow." He commanded. And the skeletons did.

Why did he ever deny this power? What does it matter that it's made of dead humans? It's his army. He had never been more powerful. Why would he deny this from himself? Why should he?

It was his birthright to command the dead. His birthright to rule over those who had fallen. So why would he say no? He could do anything he ever wanted. Become a hero or a villain, it didn't matter. Because who could oppose him?

But then, he saw the steam. It was at the edge of his vision, where All Might was supposed to be standing. And that, that dragged him back to reality. "You can go now." He commanded quickly, grabbing onto the fleeting feeling of… humanity. What was he doing? This wasn't him.

But one moment of clarity was enough. The skeletons scattered and the bones sank into the ground. All the power disappeared, leaving Izuku feeling empty. Weak. Exposed and vulnerable. And utterly and completely disgusted with himself.

The scent of decay was still lingering in the air.

Izuku turned around, and promptly threw up.

Now that his personality was back, he barely dared to look at All Might. He must think him a monster. With a quirk like this… And there was no way All Might didn't see how Izuku changed when he summoned the dead. Surely, it was impossible to miss.

He straightened up, having emptied his stomach, and collecting all his bravery, he looked at his mentor with fearful eyes.

All Might, now deflated, was standing there frozen in place. He had an expression of poorly concealed shock written all over his face. Izuku gave him a moment to process what had happened. After all, this was something right out of a nightmare, and even for a seasoned hero, this must have been… shocking. Surely, All Might has seen terrible things before. But there was nothing quite like an army of skeletons climbing out of the ground just to say hi.

But then, All Might just shook his head, and looked at Izuku with clear, even though sunken, eyes. If he was still in shock, it didn't show.

"You can reanimate the dead." He stated.

Izuku couldn't do anything but nod, his anxiety growing every minute. He couldn't read All Might's expression, and he was terrified what he would say.

"What is the name of the quirk?"

Izuku blinked, taken aback. "I… I never really named it?" He answered hesitantly. "I thought about many names but… none of them really fit. And since it was never registered…"

"You never had to actually name it." All Might nodded. "Well, I suggest thinking up a name. It's your quirk, after all."

Izuku felt himself light up a little. Whatever this was, it wasn't disgust. All Might didn't resent him. That gave him a little bit of bravery.

"You are the first person I've ever showed this." He admitted, averting his eyes. And just like that, suddenly, feelings were pouring out of him. All the things he never said to anyone, out of fear, were now begging tob e said. "I always thought people would be revolted by me if they found out about my quirk. So I let them think I'm quirkless. It was easier than becoming a villain in their eyes." He clenched his fist. "All I ever wanted was to be a hero, to help people, but I didn't think I could. But you shared your secret with me and you believed in me. So… I thought…." Tears started flowing freely from his eyes. "I thought you deserved to see it." He shook his head. "I know it's inhuman, but…" He looked up once again. "Please don't give up on me."

"I absolutely will not."

Izuku raised his head, staring at All Might, who was once again in his hero form, smiling. "Thank you for sharing this with me, young Midoriya. I understand why you think this quirk is not usable, and on some part, I agree with you. The dead should not be disturbed. But they ARE dead. And that means if you have to choose between the living or dead, I know you have a heart that's true enough to always choose the living." He put his hand on Izuku's shoulder. "But I believe my quirk will be more than enough to be a hero. And for the skeletons… it never hurts to have a back up plan."

Izuku wiped his tears with his sleeve, and nodded with a smile. "Yes sir!" He shouted. He felt like a giant weight had left his shoulder. The truth was out.

Then a moment later…

"But why do I have to clean the beach?"

* * *

 **Soooo the chapter isn't exactly long, but that's the best I can do in the free time I have at the moment, sorry. I hoped you liked it though. I've tried to keep Izuku in character as much as I could, because even though he has another quirk, if I changed too much he would kind of become an OC, and I don't know about you guys, but I don't really like fics with OCs. So feel free to tell me if you think that Izuku is getting too out of character.**

 **Buuut. And I also have a question for you!**

 **Izuku's quirk is summoning the dead at the moment. Question is, should it stay that way, or should it be actual demigod like powerlevel? I'm not saying I would give Izuku the exact powers Nico has, but similar ones (like shadow travel as it has been suggested by _Addles28_ :D). But I'm really not sure if I should go that far? I'm not sure whether or not it would be too much. Tell me your thoughts guys :D**

 **And for my reviewers:**

 **to EbonyPlague: I don't know what I'm doing either, but hey, we are trying right? :D Percy Jackson lovers unite!**

 **to Crowned Crane: I don't actually know much about the character but it is an interesting concept. I will give it a thought or two :D**

 **to Crownclown.14th: I'm afraid I have no idea what you are talking about, but I shall look it up when i have the time. (Or more like 'if' I have the time).**

 **Thanks for the reviews everyone! :D**


	3. Just this once

**I do not own Boku no Hero Academia.**

* * *

Toshinori watched somberly as the boy pushed himself to the limit each day, his eyes set on the future. Midoriya was more than worthy of One for All, the hero could clearly see that. Just the way the child handled his own quirk, that showed maturity, responsibility, and above all, an outstanding set of morals that were more than admirable.

Most people would have probably become villains at this point, or abandoned all their hopes of using their quirks, not believing that anyone would ever accept them as heroes, or accept them at all, and Toshinori could hardly blame them. But this kid had a heart that was too pure for that. He had the same determination as heroes with a pro license, unwilling to give up even when the world itself seems to be against him.

And it was taking its toll on the kid. It wasn't hard to see, the lack of self-confidence, the jumpiness, and an amount of self-hatred was there too, hidden, but still there. All the kid ever wanted was to be a hero, but he felt like all he could ever be was a villain.

He thought that because his quirk was... not natural, he wasn't either. But Toshinori was not blind to potential, and this one was shining so much that even Eraserhead would be impressed.

Probably.

Toshinori wished more than anything that Midoriya was wrong. That the quirk wasn't that bad. But the reality? It really was that bad. He knew he would never forget the way the dead started climbing out of the ground, the way they obeyed the boy immediately. Those unseeing, glowing eyes that seemed to be staring straight at him would haunt for a long time.

And the quirk also had an effect on young Midoriya. The boy didn't say it, but they both knew it was true. When he used his quirk, he would forget all his doubts and feel powerful. One look into the kid's eyes while he was using his quirk, and All Might could already see it. Gone was the shy boy with self-confidence issues, and someone else took his place. Someone that Midoriya did not want to be. It was easy to see why the quirk seemed so terrifying to the boy, and in a sense, it truly was terrifying.

And yet, Toshinori was glad. He was truly glad, because a quirk like this? Most people would never resist the temptation. They would give in to the feeling of power, and quite possibly become one of the most terrifying villains Japan has ever seen. Just imagine the havoc one could wreak with an army of skeletons smelling like death itself marching through the streets.

But the boy he had chosen as his successor? He won't. He will be a hero, using his powers for good. His quirk may be something out of a horror movie, but young Midoriya will use it for good. And he will save people with it.

Toshinori knew.

But he also wished he could do something, anything, to remove the ever present burden that weighed down the boy.

But it was not possible. Commanding the dead was Midoriya's curse. But it was his obligation too.

* * *

Ten months flew by without a mention of Izuku's quirk. It wasn't forgotten, far from it, but All Might saw no reason to bring it up. They both agreed that this power should not be used unless it was necessary, and training it wasn't really something either of them wanted to do. Not that there wasn't enough to do already, readying Izuku to be a vessel was a job hard enough as it was. But they did it. In a nick of time, but they managed to do it.

However, that was hardly enough. After all, Izuku's control was nonexistent, so how was he supposed to get any points?

But he had to get into U.A. It was his dream, and he was prepared to do anything for it.

He didn't realize exactly how prepared he really was until five minutes into the exam, when he realized he had no chance to pass unless… unless he did the unthinkable. But then again, it was HIS quirk, wasn't it? And the dead were… dead. Maybe, just maybe it wouldn't be so wrong, using them for his own purposes. Just sometimes. Just until he could learn One for all. Was it really wrong that he wanted to fight for his dream?

Just this once.

And so, Izuku decided. He would use his quirk. For once in his life, he would do something utterly selfish.

As if hearing him, at that exact time, a robot crashed through a building, ending up right in front of the freckled boy.

Good thing he already had a plan ready.

It was a plan born out of random thoughts and late night speculations, that has been in the making for years and years. It wasn't much of a plan, more of an idea. A way to use his quirk without exposing himself.

You see, Izuku noticed vey early on that the skeletons he summoned weren't just a stack of bones. They could, after all, punch their way through concrete. They were strong. Inhumanly strong. He wasn't sure what else they were, since he refused to use them a lot, but the fact that he knew that his skeletons were strong was enough to formulate his plan.

"Please forgive me." Izuku muttered, to the dead or to himself, he wasn't sure.

The robot locked on to its target, but it never got to actually deal any damage, because, in the next moment, the ground opened up, and the robot was dragged down into the depth right up until it was so deep only its head was sticking out. It struggled a bit, then stopped working altogether.

And then, Izuku felt it. The power in him, rising up to the surface. His confidence flaring up, erasing all doubts. If One for All wasn't going to help, the dead would.

So he ran. But he wasn't running out of panic, searching frantically like before. Now, he knew what he was doing. And even though somewhere deep within his heart, he felt regret, and logically he knew it was wrong, he couldn't care at that moment. His dream was waiting for him. And he would not pass this chance up.

But five minutes wasn't enough. As quickly as he destroyed the robots he could find, the amount of points he had gathered was still too low. It didn't help that he could only do it one way: he would use the skeletons to grab the robots and drag them underground. That way his quirk remained a secret, but it was still obvious that he was the one who got rid of them. But there wasn't enough time left.

It was all for nothing.

When the zero pointer robot appeared, Izuku's first thought was to run. Not out of fear, but out of realization. Now was his chance. While everyone was escaping, he could gather as many points as he needed to pass.

Then he heard the scream.

There she was. The nice girl, stuck under the rubble. In the way of the zero pointer. Nobody paid any mind to her, running away fast as they could. Nobody helped her.

Izuku had two choices ahead of him: He either used this distraction to gather points, or he could try to save the girl

He didn't even think. Next thing he knew, he was up in the air, screaming smash, dealing a blow strong enough to destroy the upper part of the robot.

At that moment, he felt powerful. But it was so different from what he felt with his own quirk. When he summoned the dead, he felt invincible. Cocky.

With One for All, what he felt was strength. Not the kind that made him want to go around and flaunt it, but the kind that made him feel… good. Worthy. It was a completely different type of self-confidence.

Then he was falling, one hand and two legs uselessly flapping at his side, broken. If he hit the ground from this height, he would surely die. Well, at least he wouldn't be alone, with his skeleton army and all. Surely they were fun to hang around with.

In the end, he didn't get to join his own army, as he was slapped on the face by the gravity girl, effectively saving him from becoming a splat on the ground.

"And release." The girl uttered, and Izuku fell on the ground with a thud. She then turned away and started vomiting. Ah, Izuku knew that feeling. He did that too when he used his quirk. Only right now, all the disgust was being kept at bay by the overwhelming tiredness he felt

But he took a moment to appreciate the girl's quirk. Controlling gravity. So cool.

Unlike controlling the dead. Not cool. Not cool at all.

At the back of his mind, he remembered he still needed points. He didn't have enough. But he was just so tired…

"Just a few more points" he muttered, trying to get up, or crawl, or something, but the fog in his mind was getting thicker and thicker every moment.

"AAAND TIME IS UP!"

Hearing that, Izuku promptly passed out.

He wouldn't realize it until later, but this was the first time that Izuku's own feelings overcame the control his quirk had over his emotions without having to release the dead first. When he jumped to save the Uraraka, it was so pure and instinctive, all other feelings were pushed into the back of his mind.

Because Izuku's quirk may have been of a villain's, but Izuku was a hero to boot.

* * *

The following week, Izuku felt like the worst human being in existence. He managed to fail the exam, defy his own morals, and disappoint All might in the spam of ten minutes. I mean, that was the only reason why the hero hadn't contacted him right? Not even a word from the symbol of peace.

And Izuku couldn't blame him. All Might had put all his faith in him. Given him his quirk. spent so much time training him, preparing him, and how did he repay that?

He failed the exam, he summoned the dead for his own gain, and he was an absolute failure when it came to One for All. Maybe All Might would ask for it back now? After all, who would want to have _him_ as his successor?

But, as it turned out, the worrying was for nothing. To say Izuku was shocked when he opened his letter would be an understatement. Ha passed. He didn't fail. It wasn't all for nothing! All the faith in him, all the help he received, it wasn't in vain. And if anything, All Might sounded proud in the video. He obviously wasn't mad at him. He just didn't have time to contact Izuku.

Suddenly, the realization hit the freckled boy harder than Uraraka at the entrance exam.

He got to join U.A. He could follow his dream.

* * *

Izuku met All Might at Dagobah beach park, which was now clean of all the garbage, making it a truly beautiful place. And, judging by the amount of people walking on the shores, other people seemed to think so too. It made Izuku feel proud, seeing people admiring his work.

"All Might!" He shouted at the hero, forgetting that he was in his deflated form: No-one should know it was actually him.

"All Might?! No way! Where?" somebody shouted back not far from them.

The hero shook his head quickly, coughing up blood. "Repeat after me: "just my eyes playing tricks on me!" He urged Izuku.

"Just my eyes playing tricks on me!" He repeated immediately, half panicking at his own mistake.

The person searching for All Might gave off a dejected sigh and turned his attention away, making Izuku breath out in relief.

The hero held his hand out for a high five. "Congrats on passing. You should know that I haven't told the school about our relationship." He smiled slightly. "You seemed like the type who'd worry about favoritism."  
"I appreciate it." Izuku truly did. He needed to know he got in by his own strength. Well, as much as this strength was his anyway. Apparently, with the amount of rescue points, he would have gotten in anyway without using his quirk. But this way? He got in second, just one point short of Bakugou.

But there was something else more interesting going on in his mind. "So you are a teacher in U.A.?" He asked. "That was a shocker. That's why we are meeting here… I get it." Suddenly it started making sense. "Even though your office is located in Tokyo's Minato ward…

"Please stop." All Might cut the sentence short, and Izuku blushed. He has been geeking out again. Oops.

"I couldn't tell anyone until the school made it public," the hero continued, "I figured I could take the job at U.A. while searching for a successor."

That froze the smile right off Izuku's face. Of course All Might would be searching for a successor there. Where else would he? U.A. had the most talented young people between its walls. With quirks that are… heroic. Not like him. Not an abomination.

"But there is something else. I saw you using your quirk at the entrance exam. That was quite clever of you, but I imagine it was a difficult decision on your part."

"It was." Izuku admitted, and for a moment, he let the relief flood through him. All Might wasn't disappointed. He understood. "But I decided to do everything I can to achieve my dream." He clenched his fist. "If it means I have to compromise myself every other time, then I will!"

All Might smiled at him sadly, his eyes filled with empathy and understanding. "I admire you for that. Have you named the quirk yet?"

Izuku nodded. He gave it a lot of thought. "I'm calling it Gates of Hell. I thought it would fit." He smiled sadly.

"It is a fitting name. A bit dramatic, but so is your quirk," the hero nodded with the hollow of a smile. "I didn't tell them anything about it, but sooner or later, they will have to know. At least your homeroom teacher. You did use it at the entrance exam, even if it wasn't obvious what you actually did. You'll have to explain that somehow. If you are lucky, you will get a homeroom teacher who will be understanding. But you have to prepare yourself to the chance that they may expect you to use it even when they find out what it actually is. You will have to prove yourself capable with One for All if you want to avoid that."

Izuku felt the dread fill him.

"One for all broke my body after a single punch." He hung his head. "I just can't wield it."

"That's just how it is." All Might assured him. "If someone suddenly grew a tail, it's not like they'd be able to do tricks with it right off the bat."

Waaait a minute. Izuku looked up, feeling betrayed. Does this mean…

"You knew this would happen?!" He exclaimed.

All Might at least had the decency to look embarrassed. "Well…" He scratched the back of his head. "There wasn't enough time. But it turned out all right!" He added quickly. "Or should I say… ALL MIGHT!" Izuku face palmed. "For now, it's all or nothing. But once you figure out how to regulate your power… you can put out as much as your body can handle." All Might leaned down, picking up a thrown away soda can. (What was that doing there? Izuku just cleaned this beach, they'd better not start littering it again so soon!) "The more you temper your vessel, the better you can control your power." He turned into his hero form, crushing the can with a big smile. "Like this."

"Look! It really is All Might!"

Then they ran.

* * *

On the first day, Izuku was probably more nervous than the other nineteen in his class added together.

It had taken a lot of time for him to find his classroom. The building was nothing less than a labyrinth, making it a challenge to find anything, especially for someone who was there for the first time.

Izuku was curious: what kind of classmates would he have? After all, if he made good friends, maybe, just maybe, they wouldn't condemn him when they eventually find out about his other quirk. And, also he hoped to god Kacchan wouldn't be in his class. He would be so angry if he found about his quirk – either of them – and Izuku did not need another three years of being bullied.

Opening the enormous classroom door, Izuku gave off a dejected sigh. Kacchan was his classmate, and to add insult to injury, the stuck up boy was too. But at least the kind girl, the one who tried to give him points, was there too. And the stuck up boy, Iida, wasn't that bad after all. But he still could have done without Kacchan being his classmate.

But that wasn't even the worst part of the day. And that's saying something, because that was the part where Izuku found out that his bully since he was five was going to go the same class as him.

They were doing a quirk apprehension test. And the worst would be expelled.

The only thing on Izuku's mind was "Oh please no" at that moment. One of his quirks he couldn't control yet, and the other… Well, let's just say this wasn't the kind of party where skeletons would be appreciated.

And Izuku felt the weight of that in every single exercise. He failed and failed and failed, being no better than average in every test. And in a test where quirks were present, average was simply not good enough.

Maybe… Izuku had an idea. Maybe he could use a skeleton to…

But wait, no no no no no he shouldn't do this. Was a test important enough to disturb the dead for it? The entrance exam was one thing. But this? This was the first day. He couldn't keep doing this. He had to learn how to manage without it in U.A., or it would come and bite him in the ass soon enough. He made a deal with himself: He would use it, but only in an emergency. This was not an emergency.

All through the exercises, he could feel the teacher's eyes on him. He knew why. He showed he had a quirk at the entrance exam, when he dragged the robots underground. And then, he showed it again when he punched the robot. He got in second place.

So why wasn't he using at least one of his powers now? Well, with the strength augmentation quirk it was quite obvious, but he knew the teacher was trying to find out what his other quirk was. But he wasn't going to any time soon, as Izuku wasn't about to invite a bunch of skeletons to the school ground. So, the only remaining option was One for All. It might break his arm, but it would be worth it.

He channeled All Might's quirk into his arm, and threw.

He felt it before the ball left his hand, and it was so strong, so distracting and scary, he barely heard the machine say:

"46 meters."

"I erased your quirk." The teacher said. His scarf was all but floating around him, and his eyes were glowing red.

And that at least explained it.

The emptiness. His heart felt… weak, hollow, and yet so light. Like some kind of pull that had always been there just disappeared, like that. It was gone. He reached and reached and reached, but nothing was there. His power was gone. He wouldn't be able to invite the dead now even if he wanted to.

And there was something else.

It was as if everyone else had ceased to exist around him. Like they were… dead. Lifeless. Like furniture. They were there, moving, breathing, existing, and yet, to Izuku, they seemed – felt – dead. Like when you put TV on mute. They were there, living, breathing, moving and talking, and yet to him, they just didn't seem to exist.

"Eraserhead." Izuku stated, finally recognizing the hero by the goggles around his neck. His quirk was erasing other people's quirks.

"That ridiculous entrance exam…" the teacher stared at Izuku with contempt, his red eyes boring into the boy "it's completely irrational that someone like you got in." He grabbed Izuku with his scarf, lifting him off the ground. "I saw how you handled your quirk. You can't control it. You'd just incapacitate yourself again. What then? Will you always just hope that someone would step in afterwards?"

Well… Normally, he kinda had his skeletons to help him if it came down to that. it wouldn't be very morally sound, but he could get the dead to carry him if he had to. Or maybe a skeleton horse. Can he even summon animal skeletons? He had never tried. Summoning dead humans came naturally to him, animals, not so much. Maybe once he should try.

"No, it's not like that…" Izuku denied, remembering that Aizawa was waiting for his answer.

"Whatever you were planning, it would have inconvenienced those around you." The hero stated.

Just wait until you see my other quirk, Izuku thought bitterly. Calling it inconvenient won't cut it for that one. Oh boy.

"Way back then, a certain hot blooded hero saved over a thousand people during a disaster. He made himself a legend. You've got the same reckless streak, but you are totally useless after saving just one person." That was, unfortunately, true. But Izuku just got his quirk. Surely, he was allowed some learning time?

Okay, probably not. This was not a summer camp. This was U.A.

And Eraserhead was on the same opinion. "I don't know what your quirk is, but it breaks your bones and makes you tired enough so Recovery girl barely dares to heal you because you could possibly die. So tell me, what good are you?"

Izuku gulped. He already knew it was coming, yet when the pro hero actually said it, he wasn't prepared.

"Midoriya Izuku, you cannot become a hero with that power of yours." He deadpanned, looking Izuku straight in the eyes.

Well, that hit close to home. He had always told himself that. That exact sentence. He would repeat it to himself over and over again, at night when he caught himself dreaming about being a hero, or when he decided to apply to U.A. He had told himself so many times, it was almost a physical blow by now. Eraserhead had no idea how right he was. But not about one for all. Izuku would prove that.

The teacher let go of him then, closing his eyes. "You've got your quirk back. Let's get this over with." It was obvious what Aizawa thought. He gave up on him.

But that was okay. Izuku was used to people giving up on him. He had given up on himself many times before too. And yet, here he was.

He gripped the ball. It was time to prove himself.

He got ready to throw, seemingly not intending to use his power. But at the last point of contact, he used all the power the quirk had to offer to propel the ball forward, sending it into the sky. It broke his finger, but he didn't care. What was a finger to all the pain he had faced while growing up? Telling himself day after day that his quirk wasn't suitable for heroics. Being afraid all the time, because what if someone found out?

Well, no more.

"705.3 meters." The machine said.

"Sensei." Izuku clenched his fist. "I can still move."

* * *

Aizawa was impressed. The boy, Midoriya, obviously had potential. He was a creative thinker, determined to overcome any obstacle, exceeding expectations.

And yet, something was off. Aizawa could feel it in his bones. The way the kid acted, there was a sadness in him. Paired with his shy personality and the way the other kid, Bakugou, acted towards him, it was possible his behavior was a result of the bullying he probably faced in middle school.

But somehow, Aizawa didn't think that was it. His instincts were going haywire all morning, and he couldn't explain why. And then there was the question of the student's quirk. The force of the punch that blew away the zero pointer was All Might level, which was alarming enough on its own, but there was the other thing. There was a debate over it between the teachers: what did the kid's quirk do? How did he break the asphalt and drag the robots into the ground like that? Did he have some kind of earth related quirk too? Maybe he was like Todoroki, his quirk being half strength augmentation, half earth control.

But why not use it then? He could have gotten himself a lot more chance of passing and wouldn't have broken his finger.

The interesting part was that the same thing had happened at the entrance exam. Midorya almost didn't get enough points because he only realized he should start using his quirk at the second half. Why?

Did the quirk have a time limit? But that still didn't explain why the boy didn't use it today for at least one exercise. There would be the option of the quirk not being applicable to the situation, but Midoriya had proved that he was good at solving problems like that when he threw the ball.

To Aizawa, Midoriya Izuku was an enigma. But he would soon change that. Because if Midoriya wanted to be part of the strongest hero school in Japan, he would have to go all out. And that? That included all parts of his quirk.

* * *

 **Hello again :D**

 **Thank you so much for all the answers you gave and all the reviews the story got. Every critic gives me a push to continue the story, and to be honest, since school is hard as hell and I feel stressed all the time, every review I get is kind of the light of my day. So keep it up please, don't leave me hanging, if it's good or bad, tell me, I'm happy for all criticism. :D**

 **Also, about the question of Izuku's power, I've decided. To not decide. (Such an answer, I know.)**

 **I'm just going to go with the flow, see where the story and the characters develop themselves, and if it fits, then Izuku will get more powers, if it doesn't, then that's that. :D**

 **Oh and sorry grammatical mistakes and stuff, I'm not native and have been keeping up my English only by series and fanfics for the last three years. If there is a mistake I made/keep making that you find incredibly annoying, point it out.**

 **See you next chapter! (I hope :D)**


	4. Those stupid eyes

**I do not own boku no hero academia.**

* * *

Once he arrived home, Izuku made a dash for his room. There was something he really needed to do, something that has been on his mind since Aizawa sensei erased his quirk during the quirk apprehension test.

He plopped his bad next to the door, and jumped to his desk, opening the third drawer. For an outsider, it would have seemed like a normal drawer filled with books. But Izuku wasn't going for the books now. He took them out, putting them on the desk in hurry. Then he slightly pushed the left corner of the bottom of the drawer, just to have the wooden board pop out, so Izuku could take that out too.

Under the fake bottom, there was a simple, black notebook titled notebook number 0.

Izuku slapped it open, skipping through the pages that had notes on them already.

When he finally reached the empty part, he grabbed a pen, and on top of the next page he scribbled:

"Ability number 3"

The notebook had been in the making since Izuku was five. He couldn't even write back then, so it started with sloppy, badly drawn sketches, that slowly escalated into words, and now it was a full blown analysis on his quirk, everything he had discovered so far was written down right there.

Half of it was Izuku coming up with plans, thinking about ways to use his quirk as a hero, and while he never really could come up with a decent solution, it was still important to him.

Which is why this was so flabbergasting. He has been trying to figure out his quirk for so long, spent so much time pondering on it, how the hell did he never notice?

Why did it have to be taken away before he could realize it was there at all?

Izuku supposed it was sort of like that buzz in one's ear. You don't notice it's there right until its gone. But it wasn't quite the same, since it was a whole new _sense_ right there, so much more than a simple buzz.

Izuku always knew that people around him were alive, some full of life, some less lively. But he never, ever realized just how much he knew all that. He didn't just know it. He felt it.

To him, it was always natural that people felt alive. He never knew it was something you aren't supposed to feel, just know.

And yet he did. But can you blame him for not noticing? It wasn't something as obvious as seeing a color or hearing a voice or music. It was just so… natural.

He quickly ran through his thoughts, and the information he collected on the train. As far as he could tell, it wasn't that much of a feeling, or a power really. Just a sense of people being there, living, breathing, generally alive. It wouldn't help him in a fight or anything, and even though there was a difference between people who were strong and healthy and old and sickly people, it wasn't much.

But it wasn't supposed to be there at all.

His quirk was getting weirder by the moment. What did it do exactly? He already knew it was more connected to death itself than to skeletons, but this, this was new and unexpected.

He stared at his notebook, biting his lip. He needed answers. And he needed them yesterday.

* * *

Next day was not fun. If Kacchan was mad before, he was furious after their battle, and he didn't even know half of it. One day, he would probably find out about Izuku's other quirk too. Oh boy. Izuku could already feel the dread.

But he went against Kacchan, and he won. He could barely believe it himself, and yet, the results didn't lie. He beat Kacchan, and even though it wasn't a victory without a price, he couldn't find it in himself to regret what he did. He won, and he did that without using Gates of Hell. But then again, in that situation, unless he was willing to summon a small army of skeletons, he couldn't have used it anyway.

And he wasn't about to do that. Especially not now that it seemed that he had friends now. If Iida found out about his quirk, there was no way he would talk to Izuku ever again. The boy could barely imagine the situation. Iida was uptight, righteous and had morals that were unmatched by any of their classmates. He would be no less than utterly horrified by Izuku's quirk, and that was the best case scenario.

Izuku felt a shiver run down his spine, as he hurried towards the gates to catch Kacchan.

He was furious with him, and rightly so. He thought Izuku has been keeping One for All a secret from him. And he wasn't wrong, exactly, Izuku did keep his quirk from him, hell, he was still keeping that secret. He had no right to even apologize to him, and yet, Izuku still found himself running after Kacchan, hoping to catch him before he left. if anything, he could at least try to explain…

Turns out, he didn't have to run, because as soon as he left the building, he was met with a fist in the face. He fell back with a pained thump. Kacchan was standing there, waiting for him, looking down at him with an angry expression.

"What's wrong, not so tough now, you pathetic wimp?" Kacchan asked, his voice filled with rage. The intense fire of hatred that was burning in his eyes made Izuku gulp.

"I'm here to explain." Izuku uttered, looking up at his childhood friend (later bully) with determined eyes. "I owe you that much."

"What, you don't think I knew?" Kacchan laughed, but there was no happiness in that. "For years you have been looking down on me… ignoring me… acting like you are better just because you have a cool quirk, and I'm fucking sick of it. You have never even dared to show it to anyone. So fucking pathetic. And now it turns out it has an added bonus of super strength too? You got to be fucking kidding me."

"Wait…" Izuku felt like his heart just stopped. Everything around him got so silent, he could hear the blood rushing in his ears, and his heartbeat was so strong he felt like it would break his chest. "You… you knew about my quirk?"

Kacchan's eyes flared up with hatred, and he hit the wall next to Izuku. "I was there that day dumbass. What, did you fucking think that I would just go and forget a freaking skeleton climbing out of the ground? Is that how stupid you think I am?"

Izuku stared. And stared some more. "You've never… you've never said anything." He was shaking now, his stuttering coming back with full force. "You… you called me quirkless..."

"I was waiting for you to get your fucking head of your ass and own up to your quirk, but you have always been a damned coward. You still are." Kacchan turned around. "You are nothing but a fucking Deku, who doesn't deserve the awesome quirk he has. You think just because you have super strength, it's all fucking okay now. Well guess again. You are still a pathetic wimp who can't stand the sight of his own power. With or without superstrenght."

"The superstrenght isn't mine." Izuku said, before he could stop himself.

Kacchan turned around abruptly, staring down at him. Right, he was still on the ground, Izuku remembered. Oh well. He hadn't had much pride left anyway.

"What are you trying to say, you fucking nerd?"

"You are right. I am pathetic. I really can't use my own quirk. But this power… It has recently been given to me. I can't tell you how or why. But with it, I'm going to prove myself to you." He stood up. "I'm going to take this power, and make it mine, more than my own quirk ever has been. Just you wait Kacchan! I'll catch up to you!"

* * *

Bakugou Katsuki already knew he was special before he developed his quirk. But when he did, that was when he truly understood.

He was truly the best. And everyone else? They were below him. Pebbles in his path. But they were nice to have around, so they could follow him around if they wanted to, he supposed. It was nice to have admirers.

Especially Izuku. The wonder in his friend's eyes, it was the real thing. Izuku could see him for what he really was.

The best.

And Izuku was okay, too, Katsuki supposed. He wasn't as annoying as the others, and they shared the same dream of being heroes like All Might.

But then Izuku failed to develop a quirk. And at that moment, Katsuki realized. His friend wasn't cool at all. He was even worse than the other kids.

He was lame.

And yet, Katsuki would still let the quirkless boy hang around him. Izuku still had those wonder filled eyes every time they were playing together, and it made Katsuki feel proud. But then, the skeleton happened.

To him, it was obvious from the beginning. The skeleton had the same eyes as Deku had, and he was the first thing it saw. And it had the same annoying way of saying 'protect' too.

For an adult it may not have been important, but to a child, it was blatantly obvious how much the skeleton belonged to Deku.

But what really gave it away was the change in Deku's behavior. Kacchan may have been four but he wasn't stupid. How could they not see? Were they all stupid? Deku didn't have those void filled eyes anymore.

Instead, he looked scared. Katsuki didn't understand why. He had a quirk after all! And it was so cool!

So why didn't he say anything? Why did he let the others mock him about being quirkless?

Katsuki was fascinated. So he kept observing.

It wasn't until later that he realized: Deku was ashamed of his quirk. He didn't want anyone to know about it. Katsuki thought that was the lamest thing ever, but he played along, because he was curious. For how long would Deku let them hit him before he admitted he had a quirk?

And with every month that passed without Deku uttering a single word about his quirk, Katsuki got more mad. He was looking down at him. Maybe he didn't say anything because he felt superior. Deku simply didn't feel like he had to share that information. Why would he want to share it with anyone? Deku thought he was better than them. Better than him. Because he had an awesome quirk.

He could see it every day in those bright green eyes, looking down on him.

As they got older, it only got worse. Katsuki was more and more convinced: the stupid Deku enjoyed the superiority the fact gave him that he knew more. Maybe he did actually use his quirk. Maybe he was strong enough to beat all of them, but they weren't significant enough to waste the energy on.

Maybe stupid Deku was better than him.

But even though he would never admit it, on some level, he knew. He knew it was just his own insecurities talking. Deku really was afraid to use his power. He hated it. And that option was just as bad, because then he wasn't just useless, but pathetic too.

So Katsuki pushed. He went farther each time, trying to get a rise out of Izuku. On some part, he just wanted to find out if Deku was just looking down on him and that's why he didn't tell him, or Deku was simply a pathetic coward.

He needed to know.

But Izuku never protected himself. He never used his quirk. Not even once. Not even when Katsuki just had enough and told him to jump off a roof, because Deku had to realize it by now: he would never get in to U.A. So Katsuki took his notebook and burnt it, watching Deku curiously.

But he just sat there, all pathetic and useless. As always.

Katsuki didn't care anymore. He couldn't care. Izuku was never getting into U.A. He just didn't have the guts to do what it takes.

And then suddenly, it all changed. He was captured, and he couldn't move and he couldn't control his own body and god damn it he couldn't breath, and he didn't need anybody's fucking help but please somebody, help him already, please help.

Izuku was there. When no-one else was, not even the pro heroes, he was there, that stupid shit with those stupid honest eyes.

"You looked like you needed help!"

For the first time in his life, Katsuki experienced the feeling of gratefulness. And he was angry at himself for that, but he couldn't help it, because even though Izuku was too much of a coward to use his quirk, he was still here, helping him, when nobody else would.

Why? Why was he so fucking heroic?

And more importantly, why did he make Katsuki feel like he was less? He wasn't. He was way better than that quirk denying coward. And yet, every time he looked into Deku's eyes before, he felt it. Izuku was better than him, and he knew it.

He was angry, because Izuku thought he needed help, but on the other hand, he was grateful, because that stupid Deku came to help when nobody would. He didn't know what to feel, or how to deal with his feelings, and that made him altogether furious.

He considered confronting Izuku about his quirk. It was about time. After all, he had been keeping that fucking secret for long enough.

But he just couldn't find it in himself to approach Deku. He felt ashamed and angry. He would just get rid of that shithead when he went to U.A. All he had to do was to avoid that stupid shit, wait it out. Get rid of those stupid eyes.

Imagine Katsuki's surprise when the principal congratulated both of them for getting into U.A.

Both of them.

He wasn't even sure how it happened, but the next thing he knew, he was holding Deku against a wall by his neck, unable to contain his anger anymore.

"I told you to stay out of my way!" He growled, his hand sparking. "It was supposed to be my origin story."

It was on the tip of his tongue. To tell Izuku he knew about his quirk, to tell him that he knew how pathetic he was.

But before he could say anything, Deku did something he had never, ever done before.

He fought back. Stood up for himself for the first fucking time in his life. But why the fuck did it have to be this time?

"Somebody told me I can be a hero!" The stupid shit shouted at him, and those disdainful green eyes were screaming at him with determination now. "And I'm going to prove them right! I've never believed in myself because…" His breath hitched. "But this time, I won't back down Kacchan. I am going to U.A. I will be a hero!"

Deku turned around and walked away.

A thousand thought were burning and burning in Katsuki's mind now. Firstly there was anger. How dare he? How dare that stupid shit oppose him? Doesn't he know his place?

Secondly, there was fear. Did Izuku finally learn how to use that creepy quirk of his? Because if he did, he could pose a real competition to Katsuki.

In the end, he calmed himself down with one thought: It didn't matter. It didn't matter, because fucking Deku was just a pebble on the road, just another extra he had to crush.

But he never quite could silence that traitorous feeling at the back of his mind.

He felt threatened.

* * *

Aizawa had his eyes on all the students in his class. They all had potential, and that never happened before, so he was just kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop. It would, eventually. Starting with that Midoriya kid. He obviously had some kind of connection to All Might. Their quirks were similar, and he had seen them interact before. He couldn't help but frown at the thought: That man had barely been teaching there for a few days and he was already playing favourites.

But there was something about Midoriya that got his attention too. Besides the obvious lack of survival instinct, of course, because that boy seemed to destroy himself on a daily basis. Recovery girl sure as hell was grumpy about it, and Aizawa didn't much like it either. Being self-sacrificial is good and all, but rationality is not a trait to be dismissed so easily. How could someone think that it was alright to just go and break their hands?

But as much as he wanted, he couldn't expel him. Not because of any rules, not even because of All Might. He couldn't care less what the Number one hero thought or wanted. If he wanted to mentor that boy so much, he could do it outside of U.A. too.

But no, he couldn't expel him because that would have been a stupid decision. Midoriya had so much potential, and the determination to become a hero. With hard work, and enough scolding, he could truly become something great.

But there was also that other thing. The thing that bothered Aizawa more than he would have liked to admit. Midoriya was hiding something. His quirk was more than just raw power and breaking bones like it was a pastime activity, but the boy just wouldn't show it. And Aizawa checked. He reviewed the tapes on the hero lessons that All Might taught, but even there, Midoriya broke his arm rather than shoving his other quirk.

And that, that irked Aizawa. Because so much potential right there was wasted away _just like that,_ and also, because he was curious. Maybe. He never would have admitted it though. But he had decided. After the surprise rescue training, he would question Midoriya about this quirk of his. Everyone here gave it their all, and Midoriya was expected to do the same.

And there was also that feeling of uneasiness that has been with Aizawa whenever he met the student. There was something about Midoriya, something that made him want to take a step back and prepare his defenses. The boy didn't look like a threat. Wasn't a threat.

Why did he feel so threatening then?

* * *

 **Sooooo, nothing really happened in this chapter, sorry about that, but soon it's USJ time, so no worries :D You probably already noticed that I have a tendency to skip through parts of the story, but that's kind of because the parts that don't deviate from canon you already know, so writing it down would be more or less repeating the manga, and let's be honest, that would be boring. (Don't misunderstand, I love the manga and the anime, but I would have no desire to read the exact same thing in words over and over again, especially when it looks cooler with drawings.) :D**

 **But, I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to update next, pease be patient with me. This week I barely had any free time (Read as: I got up at 6, arrived home at 8 or 9 every day and then learnt till 12, not whining just making excuses here) and next week is going to be way worse, so I probably won't be able to update. These exams are hell, root for me :D**


	5. We are the League of Villains

**I do not own boku no hero academia.**

* * *

When Aizawa sensei announced the rescue training, Izuku couldn't help but feel excited. Even if he couldn't yet control One for All much, with every moment he spent at U.A, he felt closer to his dream. The dream that always seemed so unreachable as a child was now right in his grasp.

He still had a hard time believing it was real. After all the sleepless nights, lying awake and staring at the ceiling, always hoping but never daring to believe it would become real. But it was. And it made Izuku feel so damn proud, he felt like he could cry.

That, and rescue training sounded fun.

(If he only knew.)

* * *

Izuku pulled his gym clothes on while everyone else was putting on their hero costumes. His got destroyed the day before, in the fight with Kacchan. It made him sort of sad, his mom bought that jumpsuit after all. But he was now training to be a hero, which meant actual fights, so this was bound to happen sooner or later. But he didn't think it would happen this soon.

Stepping out of the building, he immediately bumped into Uraraka.

"You are wearing your gym clothes? Where is your hero costume?" She asked, smiling at him.

"Ah, it didn't survive the battle training." Izuku scratched the back of his head. "The school company is repairing it now, though."

Before Uraraka could answer, they heard Iida's voice shouting at them from in front of the bus. "Everyone, line up according to your I.D. numbers! Fill those seats in an orderly fashion!"

Izuku cracked a smile. "Iida is really enjoying this class president thing isn't he?"

"I guess so." Uraraka chuckled. "It was really nice of you to give him the position.

Izuku looked down, the shame filling him. How could he have kept that spot? It hurt enough already that people trusted him enough to make him class president. After all, they didn't know what he really was. He felt like he was playing their trust. "I gu… guess." He muttered.

Because he was looking on the ground, he completely missed Uraraka's searching look, directed at him. She had a thinking face on, as if she was trying to figure something out, but judging by the continuous frown on her face, she didn't seem to find any answers whatsoever.

After getting on the bus, Izuku ended up between Asui and Sato, and far from Kacchan thankfully.

"I generally say what's on my mind, Midoriya," Asui said suddenly, startling the boy.

"Oh. Why, what is it, Asui?" He asked with a bit of nervousness.

"Call me Tsuyu." The girl turned towards Izuku. "Your quirk resembles All Might's," she stated. Izuku felt like his heart just stopped beating for a moment.

"R-R-Really? Nah. I mean, I…" He frantically searched for an answer, any answer really, in his head, but there were none.

"Hold up, Tsuyu, All Might doesn't get hurt though. They are already different in that way." Kirishima objected, showing them his filed teeth with a smile.

"And he also can't open the ground to crash robots with it." Iida added thoughtfully.

Suddenly, there was silence, with people frowning and looking at the class president questioningly. At this point, Izuku was sweating buckets. The situation just went from bad to worse, and was heading towards terrible with a Gran Torino like speed.

"Open up the ground? What are you talking about?" Mina asked, her curiosity peaked.

Izuku wondered who else could hear his heartbeat, because to him, it seemed loud enough to join the conversation.

"At the entrance exam. I was at the same city block as him." Iida looked at Izuku questioningly. "But now that I think about it, I haven't seen you using that power since. What is your quirk exactly, if you don't mind me asking, Midoriya?"

"Yeah, what IS your quirk, Deku?" Kacchan asked in the background, his voice filled with resentment.

"Uhm, it's, uhm, you know, like, strength enhancement, and, uh…" Izuku was really in a tough spot now, and it didn't help that Aizawa sensei, who was sitting next to the driver, suddenly turned around, and looked at Izuku expectantly. "It's kind of complicated? It's nothing special, really, mostly it's just strength. The other part, it's impractical, barely usable, really, I don't use it much, uh…"

"Yeah, but what is it?" Asui (Tsuyu?) asked, staring at him with a poker face.

"It's…" Izuku felt the panic rise in his throat. Why did he not have an explanation ready? He should have known this would happen. He always had a plan. This was so stupid of him.

"If he doesn't want to talk about, he doesn't have to." A calm voice said from behind Kacchan. All eyes turned to Todoroki, who met their gazes without blinking. "It's none of your business. It's his quirk."

"Now that I think about it, Todoroki also has a dual quirk, doesn't he?" Kirishima said thoughtfully. "Not only that, him and Bakugou have the strongest quirks in class."

"Yeah, but Bakugou is always fuming, he will never be popular." Tsuyu stated blatantly.

From there on, the conversation got carried away, especially when Bakugou seemed to take that as a personal offense. (Which it probably was).

Izuku felt unimaginably grateful, letting out a deep breath. His eyes found Todoroki's, and mouthed a quiet thank you. The boy just nodded, and turned away, uncaring about the conversation that was now partly about him.

* * *

They arrived at the facility a short time later. Waiting for them there was space hero Thirteen in the flesh, and Izuku couldn't help but be a little starry eyes. Thirteen was one of the heroes who didn't exactly have a quirk you would flat out consider a hero quirk, and yet she was a great rescue hero.

"There's the flood zone, the land slide zone, conflagration zone, and so on, every disaster you can imagine." The hero explained to the class, pointing at different parts of the huge indoor space. "I built this place myself. The Unforeseen Simulation Joint!"

While all his classmates started chatting excitedly, Izuku spotted Aizawa sensei walking up to Thirteen. That in itself wouldn't have been suspicious, but he was close enough to hear him say 'All Might'. That, and the three fingers the space hero was showing, told Izuku all he needed to know.

All Might wasn't coming, huh?

"Alright." Aizawa looked at the students, silencing everyone immediately. "Let's begin."

"Before you do," Thirteen help up his hand, "I have one or two points. Or three. Or four. Lots of points I need to make."

The class stared at the hero curiously.

"So, as many of you are aware, my quirk is called Black Hole. It can tear apart anything."

"And you have used it to save people in all sorts of disasters." Izuku found himself saying, his inner fanboy coming out.

"Indeed. However, my power could kill easily. I've no doubt there are some among you with similar power."

Izuku gulped. Yes, you could kinda say that.

"In our superpowered society, use of quirks is heavily restricted and monitored. It may seem that this system is a stable one, but we must not forget that it only takes one wrong move with an uncontrollable quirk for someone to die." Izuku felt his heart skip a beat. "During Aizawa'a physical fitness test you came to learn of your hidden potential. Through All Might's Battle Training, you experienced the danger that your respective quirks can pose to others. This class will show you perspective! You will learn how to utilize quirks to save lives!"

 _Can mine save lives though?_ Izuku asked himself quietly.

Of course it can. _One for All_ will save lives. While Gates of Hell…

Who knows.

Thirteen bowed. "Thank you for your attention."

And in that moment, it all went to hell.

Izuku could feel it before he saw it. The crackling in the air, the shadow gate opening.

But mostly, so much death.

Izuku knew immediately that this was no practice. Those were real villains, carrying death with them like body odor.

"Huddle up and don't move!" Aizawa sensei shouted, but Izuku barely heard him, because _what was this feeling?_

His heart was beating a hundred miles an hour, and he couldn't contain his shivering. But not because he was afraid. No, it was a feeling much, much darker than that. His eyes met one of the villains, the one who wore a hand on his face. But he wished he had looked anywhere else in that moment, because wow. There was death in those eyes.

There was death everywhere.

There was this intense pulling in his heart, wanting to come out, wanting to be grabbed and brought forth, tugging at Izuku's heart in an all too familiar way. He stopped himself in the last moment. What was he doing? Everyone was here. He couldn't just summon his skeletons. Especially in front of the villains. Who knows what would they do with him if they saw his quirk.

When Aizawa grabbed his scarf, Izuku returned to the present, shaking himself out of the _death death death_ that was surrounding everything. "Aizawa sensei, you can't fight them alone!" He said, clenching his fist. "Against this many, you can't nullify all their quirks!" His heart was still beating fast, but this time, it was different. He was thinking logically now. _'You will die too.'_ He added in thoughts, but didn't say it out loud. ' _Don't you feel the death all around them?'_

He could help. His secret was never going to be a secret forever anyway. If it meant saving his classmates, he would gladly reveal it, no matter the consequences.

"As Eraserhead, your fighting style involves erasure and quick binding capture. Head on battle isn't…"

"No good hero is a one trick pony." The teacher interrupted him, his eyes hid by his goggles.

"I can help!" Izuku shouted, stepping closer.

"You are student. What can you do? You would just injure yourself. Stay with the others." Aizawa ordered strictly.

"You don't understand. I'm not a one trick pony either!"

For a moment, Aizawa didn't move, then turned away from Izuku. "As I said, Midoriya. Thirteen, take care of them!"

And then, he jumped into the midst.

For a moment, Izuku wanted to go after him, but he quickly stopped when he realized that he wasn't needed. Nor his quirks. Either of them. Because Aizawa sensei was kicking ass.

He couldn't observe for long though, because the next thing he knew, they were being ushered out of the faculty.

Just to be stopped by the portal villain teleporting in front of them.

"Greetings. We are the league of Villains" he introduced themselves in a surprisingly polite tone. As if they were some sort of charity organization, instead of a bunch of villains attacking kids. "Forgive our audacity, but today, we've come here to U.A. High school, this bastion of heroism with one goal." There was a beat of silence there, and Izuku felt his anxiety growing. "To end the life of All Might, symbol of peace."

The villain kept talking after that, but Izuku didn't hear him, couldn't hear him. He felt the anger rising, and it was so intense, it drowned out everything else. _Kill All Might?_

And he wasn't the only one who felt that way. Kirishima and Kacchan wasted no time, attacking the portal guy immediately.

"Not if we end you first." Kirishima stated, his eyes screaming even if he wasn't.

 _And if that happens, I'll be glad to add you to my skeleton collection._ Izuku thought but then, _wait what?_

But before he could realize the weight of his own thoughts, something happened.

They were warped. And then, Izuku was falling, and nononono was that water? The flood zone? Not water, anything but water!

 _Splash._

And then it was all gone. Izuku was sinking down down down, but he had no control, he had no air, and no ground, and no connection and he was all alone and help help help.

All the anger and determination was gone. All Izuku could feel right now was panic, because of course out of all the places he just had to end up in water. The one thing he hated more than anything. Water.

Skeletons couldn't swim. Skeletons didn't want to swim. Or maybe it was just because Izuku's connection to the ground, the ground where the skeletons were lying, was gone now. He was utterly, completely alone, no backup, no help. There was nothing he could do, not in water.

Anywhere else, but not in water.

Because as soon as Izuku entered water, he lost his power. It wasn't even like when Aizawa erased his quirk, it wasn't completely gone, it felt more like a blurred connection. It was there, but it only made Izuku feel helpless. Like when you wake up and you tell your body what to do but it just won't and you feel so helpless and alone and will someone help.

Izuku's prayers were answered a moment later. Something wrapped around his waist, and the next thing he knew, he was on a ship, landing with a thump. But he couldn't care, because there was at least something under his feet now. He coughed and tried to at least sit up, but he felt powerless, still stuck in a state of panic.

Ships were good though. They weren't anything like real ground, But Izuku could feel the connection to the dead now, so it was okay. He wasn't _in_ the water.

"Midoriya, are you alright?" Asui asked, patting his back.

"Y…yeah, I guess, thanks Asui." Izuku shivered. "It's just, uhm, water is my weakness. I hate it."

Asui was looking at him for a long time, her face undecipherable. "Call me Tsuyu" she said eventually. "And it seems like we are in trouble here then."

Izuku slowly fought himself to get his right mind back, trying to piece together what had happened element by element.

And oh, right, the villains wanted to kill All Might. Immediately, the anger returned. Unforgivable. Who were they to decide who lived and who died? And Killing All Might? How dare they even…

"They know our schedule." He said eventually, gritting his teeth. "The simplest explanation is that they caused the media rush the other day in order to get their intel. It's like Todoroki said." Izuku could feel the shiver leaving him now, anger taking over. "They have been waiting for this chance, and prepared for it well." He stood up, looking over the railing, to the lake around them.

"But there is no way they could ever kill All Might. He would trash them once he gets here." Mineta insisted.

"If they hadn't figured out a way to kill him, they wouldn't have come." Tsuyu stated. "I wouldn't put it past them. That guy promised to kill us too, after all. Who says we can even hold out until All Might gets here? Even when he does show up, who says he won't be killed?"

Izuku had many thoughts running through his mind at that moment, and he was probably muttering again but he didn't care. He had bigger problems. Aizawa sensei was fighting against a horde of villains, and some of them seemed strong too. All Might already ran out of time. Everyone was teleported away, scattered all over the place.

The situation seemed hopeless. And they wanted to kill All Might. All Might.

 _You can be a hero._

Kill All Might.

 _With your quirk, and mine._

All Might.

 _Please don't give up on me._

 _I absolutely will not!_

As if he would ever, ever let that happen. The only person opening the doors of death today was going to be him, and only he will decide who gets to cross it.

After all, it was his power to do so.

"If they… if there's a chance they have a way to beat All Might… Then we have to…" Izuku clenched his fist, and looked at the villains in the water. "We will annihilate them."

* * *

When Izuku jumped above the lake, he didn't feel fear. He felt determination.

When Izuku broke his finger, he didn't feel pain. He felt anger.

When he walked on the shore, Izuku already had a plan. He knew what he would have to do.

To be honest, all his life, he thought it would be hard. Revealing his quirk. And to be honest, it did terrify him right now too, but it was the best option at this point. When, or if it came to that, he won't hesitate.

 _I know you have a heart that's true enough to always choose the living._

"Tsuyu, Mineta, I'm going to help Aizawa sensei. You need to go find a safe place and hide away." Izuku stated. It was a cover story, to be honest. He just wanted them to leave so they didn't see his quirk.

"Why?" Tsuyu asked. No other questions. Just why.

"Because…" Izuku looked towards the plaza, where the sound of fighting was loud enough to be heard at the edge of the floodzone. "A bigger group has a higher chance to be noticed. And no offense, but my quirk has the highest offensive power here."

Tsuyu slowly tilted her head to the side. "You just don't want us to see your quirk. Your other quirk."

Izuku stepped back, eyes widening. "No, that's not…"

"You never use it. You don't like to talk about it, and it seems like you are ashamed of it." Tsuyu had no mercy as she stated her observations. "You are afraid that you would be judged for it."

Izuku stared at the ground. Given he wasn't the best at keeping secrets, but… Tsuyu saw right through him, and he didn't, he couldn't come up with a way to counter that.

"My quirk is powerful. And terrifying." He said in the end. "It's not something that you would go and flaunter around. I… I have to use it to save people, but I'm afraid if I do, I..." He clenched and unclenched his fist. "You won't see me as the same Izuku anymore. You may actually be" he looked at his classmates "Afraid of me." He looked down again. "Which is why I won't tell you what it is and I, I don't want anyone to see it."

"Midoriya." Tsuyu, put a hand on his shoulder, and smiled at him. "You saved us back there, ribbit. Your plan was solid. We may not have known you for long, but we know you are a hero. We won't judge you."

"That's right! But we should still hide away though." Mineta shouted from behind them.

"If I go, there is a good chance I'll get hurt, possibly die. And I don't even want to do anything unless it becomes necessary. If you come with me, I can't promise I'll be able to protect you too."

"We are coming. We are not letting you go alone. And besides, there are villains everywhere. Nowhere is safe right now."

Izuku nodded, looking at his friends with determined eyes. "Here we go then."

* * *

 **Hah! I did update! I hope it doesn't feel rushed or anything, but it did get written between learning maths, physics, and programming, so, uhm, yeah.**

 **Also, you may wonder about that sudden weakness I just dropped on Izuku, but it totally made sense to me? I actually have other weak points planned out, as to not make him way too OP. I hope I'm not failing at that.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading, and thank you so much for the reviews, without them, I may not have had the strength to continue.**


	6. Let me show you

Izuku absolutely rejected the idea of hiding in water, so he offered that they go around and hide behind the fountain at the center of the plaza. It was a better hiding space, and it would give them the high ground from which they could see the villain fight from a cover.

The effect of approaching the main villains was immediate. The closer they got, the stronger the tug in Izuku's heart became, and the feeling of death was growing exponentially. Soon he had to mentally fight himself not to use his quirk.

Because he wanted to. More than ever. Never had he felt such overwhelming death before, and it was pulling at his heart like crazy.

When they could actually see what was going on, it got so much worse.

Izuku wasn't sure what he had expected to see, but that, that wasn't it. Sure, he knew that the villains were outnumbered and there was one of them that had so much death in his eyes, but Izuku didn't think it was _this_ bad.

Aizawa sensei was lying there, half dead and _oh my god_ is that what half dead felt like? Izuku could feel it all the way to the fountain, the life that was usually buzzing in everyone was so, so barely there in the pro hero, Izuku shivered. He heard Mineta sob behind him.

There was a monster standing over their teacher, holding him down and pushing him into the ground. Its brain was exposed, and instead of a mouth, it had a beak. Izuku felt his heart speed up, taking in the sight. He could feel Tsuyu shaking next to him, and Mineta was crying now, his sobs muffled by his hands.

Izuku couldn't let this continue. Aizawa sensei was going to be killed at this rate. He knew it. And how could he let that happen? He moved before he could change his mind, standing up. "Stay here. Whatever you do, don't interfere." He told Tsuyu and Mineta.

And then, he headed for the stairs, and with every step he took, his resolve grew.

He had been born with a terrible privilege. But if it meant saving one person, just one, then, maybe, it was worth it.

He took a big breath.

He had long since accepted there would come a time where he would have to reveal his quirk.

The time has come.

* * *

He was just about to instruct the Nomu to finish Eraserhead, maybe crush his head against the ground a few more times, when Shigaraki saw it.

A kid, in U.A uniform, walking down the stairs from the fountain. Normally, that wouldn't be anything special, these hero kids were always crazy, going around pretending like they could save someone. No, what caught Shigaraki's eye was the look on the kid's face. There was something in there.

Something dark, and it made the villain curious.

At the same time, Aizawa felt the dread rise in him. "Midorya!" He croaked. "Get back! I don't need your help."

"Thank you for protecting us, Aizawa sensei." The boy answered, and to the outside, he didn't seem afraid at all. He came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. Then, he was just standing there, head tilted to the side as he stared at the villains. "It's my turn now."

"Oh?" Shigaraki's face twisted into a smile, but it was hidden behind a hand. This was perfect. A dead kid would be a good hit on All Might's ego, that was for sure. "How nice of you to come to us. I was just about to go over there myself, but now you spared me a walk."

"I'm here to stop you." Izuku said, staring into the eyes of the villain who carried so much death with him. He could barely contain the shiver at the thought of these eyes on Tsuyu and Mineta. They were behind him, still hiding at the fountain, but it seemed they had been noticed already.

Which gave Izuku one more reason to fight.

"And how are you going to do that?" Shigaraki stepped closer to the kid, interested.

"Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise." Izuku smiled ruefully.

"Midoriya…" Aizawa was afraid now. This stupid kid was going to get killed, and it would be under his watch. It was his job to protect him, and now, he would… "Get back. He can disintegrate you with a touch."

"It's going to be alright, sensei." Izuku smiled at the pro hero. "Why? Because I am here."

"An All Might fan…" Shigaraki scratched his neck. "I am so going to enjoy killing you."

"Kill?" Izuku questioned, frowning. "You think yourself so strong, taking away lives like that. Controlling death like that." Izuku sighed, and shook his head. The tug in heart was getting even stronger, the longer the villain stared at him.

"You know…" He put a hand on his heart, and his look was as deadly as they come. "I'm going to let you in on a secret. I always thought that it was _me_ calling out to _them_. Maybe it was. When I needed them, I called and they would come, crawling out from the deepest depths to answer. To help me." He could hardly stop himself from letting the tug in his heart escalate and to let the skeletons out. Not. Yet. "But this time? It isn't me. I think they want to come out. They have been calling out to me ever since you have appeared, trying to force their way through the gate, which, I suppose, is me. They want to help me destroy you, you know. They are begging to be let out."

He wasn't lying. It was there, so strong, he could barely hold it back. And that, he supposed, gave some insight to his quirk now.

"And who would they be?" The villain asked, his curiosity showing.

At that moment, the purple villain with the warp quirk appeared next to the boss. "Shigaraki. One of the kids managed to escape."

The villain called Shigaraki immediately stopped paying attention to Izuku, and made a gurgling sound from the back of his throat. He started scratching his neck. "We can't win against dozens of pros. I guess it's game over." He turned towards Izuku. "Let's at least kill this insolent brat." He moved so incredibly fast it was unreal, his outstretched hand reaching for him.

Wait!" Izuku shouted and everyone seemed to freeze. Death was hanging in the air around him now, Izuku just knew it. And that was perfect.

He smiled.

"I'm going to show you what real control over death is like."

This time, he didn't have to pull. All it took was one little nudge, and the dam was broken.

And then, all over the plaza, the ground broke, as skeleton hands shot right through it, grabbing for any ground they found, and pulling themselves out, escorted by the clatter of bones hitting against each other. The air was filled with the smell of decay in a matter of seconds.

The villains on the side screamed and retreated, pure instinctive fear taking over the control in their mind. And who could blame them?

Skeletons were crawling out of the freaking ground after all, and there were so many of them. Some of them looked like normal human skeletons, others were deformed due to mutation quirks. There was one with four arms, for example. It was actually the first time Izuku summoned enough to have more skeletons of mutation quirk users among them.

Izuku let out a breath as all the panic, fear, anxiety left his body. His confidence was rising now, and the feeling of power was overwhelming. Finally, everything seemed to click in to place. He couldn't contain his smirk, as he looked around him. A truly astounding sight, as all the skeletons were standing there, waiting for his commands. Their eyes were glowing green, and directed toward Izuku.

Beautiful.

"Destroy them." Izuku gave the order, smiling at the villains, and somehow, hearing their screams just made him smile harder.

Some villains fought back, others tried to run, but to no avail. The skeletons' inhuman strength came out in full force, as they beat the shit out of the side villains in the spam of a few minutes.

* * *

"So beautiful!" Shigaraki was laughing manically, his eyes wide with wonder as he watched the skeletons. "What a truly beautiful quirk. You should be a villain, kid. Wanna join us?"

"You said you wanted to kill All Might." Izuku said, stepping closer and closer to Shigaraki. "Who do you think you are, deciding who lives and who dies?" He stopped, just out of reach. "There you are, acting like some god of death, killing so many just to show your power. You want to kill All Might? You have to get through me first. And my army may have a few things to say about that."

His smile turned into something inhuman now. He had never, ever controlled so many skeletons before, and it was INTOXICATING. Death itself came to take its revenge on the villains, and Izuku, Izuku had the honor to be the mediator.

"Nomu, how about you teach this kid a lesson?" Shigaraki's smile couldn't be seen, but by his voice, it wasn't hard to guess it was there. "Don't kill him though. I want to keep him."

Nothing happened.

"Nomu?" Shigaraki turned around to see the genetically engineered monster, the beast created to kill All Might himself, stepping back, its beak open and eyes looking at the boy. Eraserhead was lying on the ground, abandoned now. He wasn't much of a real threat, beaten to the edge of his life, but Shigaraki never told the Nomu that he could let the hero go. Especially since the teacher was awake and glaring at him with glowing eyes. Something had to be done about that.

"As far as I can see, your Nomu is nothing more than animal, obeying your orders. No actual intelligence. Nor any real life in it." Izuku shrugged. "And it's still afraid of death. After all, no matter how intelligent, what has life fears death."

Izuku smiled, all his skeletons lining up around them now, making a circle. "And that is what control over death looks like. Do you understand now?"

"Shigaraki, I can warp this kid away, and his skeletons too."

"Can you now?" Izuku looked in the eyes of the villain. "I wonder what your skeleton looks like? I'm sure it will look fantastic next to the others." He smirked.

"The hell?" The villain asked, his composure breaking as his eyes widened in horror.

"Exactly."

"I'm loving this kid more and more." Shigaraki chuckled. "Such a raw power. And those hungry eyes. Sensei will be pleased to hear about him."

"You aren't getting out of here." Izuku deadpanned. "You won't have a chance to tell anything to that sensei of yours." Then he looked at the skeletons. "Take care of them."

"Oh no you don't!" The warp villain objected, but then "what the heck? My quirk…" he said, flabbergasted.

"Thank you sensei." Izuku nodded, looking at Aizawa for a moment. The teacher had his eyes focused on the warp villain now.

Izuku fired up One for All and screamed: "Smash!"

The purple villain took the hit head on, and was sent flying, away from them, quite possibly out of the game.

But wait. That wasn't a hundred percent was it? Izuku let his arm fall to his side. He must have held it back somehow, because his arm wasn't broken. How? Or more importantly, why?

He just had to hope the hit was strong enough to knock the warp villain out, because he was a key player.

"Midoriya?" Izuku's head snapped to the side, frowning at Aizawa sensei who was trying to get up, but he was literally half dead, so he didn't quite succeed. But no matter how bad he looked, his eyes were sharp and fully aware. He was looking at Izuku, and even though his stare shared none of his thoughts, Izuku instinctively knew he was in trouble. Too bad he didn't care.

"Hey you, with the extra two arms, take Eraserhead to safety." He said instead.

The mentioned skeleton slowly turned around, and made its way towards Aizawa. The teacher, however, didn't have any of that. "Don't you dare Midoriya. You are in enough trouble as it is."

"I'm just trying to keep you safe?" Izuku half asked, tilting his head to the side.

"You were ordered to stay back."

"Yeah well, I'm sorry, next time I'll just grab some popcorn and watch you die. I don't have time for this. Skeleton, you don't have to take him to safety, but stay there, keep him safe. Or at least don't let him die."

Aizawa sensei seemed to have some other things to say, but Izuku promptly turned away and with an arm movement instructed his skeletons to attack.

They charged all at once, but one was immediately caught in the Shigaraki's grasp, and started to disintegrate.

And that had aftereffects that Izuku could never foresee. The pain was blinding, ripping through his head, and it felt as if a freaking train went straight through his face. Izuku screamed, clutching his head, at the exact same spot where the villain touched the skeleton. Thankfully, the other skeletons didn't stop. The villain was strong, yes, but he stood no chance against a whole army. A skeleton hit him in the stomach so hard he was sent flying.

Izuku shook his head, and stood up, wiping away the tears that collected in his eyes. "It seems I've learned something new today." He turned towards the half disintegrated skeleton. "Any damage to them, I feel it." He chuckled. "It sort of makes sense. They don't have nerve endings. I do. It's an exchange, but it's worth it."

He stepped to the half disintegrated skeleton, and put his hand on the remaining part of the skull. "You can go now. Thank you."

The skeleton fell apart, sinking back into the ground.

Izuku felt a sort of grief overtake him. He wasn't sure why. The skeleton was already dead. And yet, how dare that villain? How dare he hurt what's Izuku's?

"As strong as you seem to be, your weakness is just as bad." Shigaraki stood up, brushing the dirt off his clothes. "So all I have to do is this?" He jumped to a skeleton, and grabbed it by its arm.

Nothing happened.

"Eraserhead, you are really getting on my nerves you know. NOMU!" He stared at the beast. "Take care of him. KILL HIM ALREADY! FUCKING DO SOMETHI…." He didn't get to finish the sentence, as the skeleton standing in the grasp of Shigaraki gave off a clattering sound, and hit the man in the stomach with its full force. Needless to say, the villain did not enjoy that.

The Nomu seemed to have broken out of its stupor by the shout, and moved towards the teacher, who had his quirk activated, eyes on Shigaraki. Aizawa was still furious with Midoriya, but he would still protect him.

Four-arms (as Izuku nicknamed him) immediately went to counter the monster, with two additional skeletons stepping next to him.

It answered the Nomu's fist with its own. As it turned out, that wasn't a good idea, as Izuku could feel the pain of his bones shattering in his arm. Another skeleton attacked from behind, jumping on the villain and digging its hand in the monster's brain.

The Nomu reached up and grabbed it, but Four-arms used the opening to attack with its remaining three hands, while the other skeleton tried to help the one in the Nomu's grasp. It wasn't successful, and the skeleton was shattered in the middle.

Ouch.

But at least Four-arms managed to get in a few good hits in, making the Nomu stumble back. That was enough, and four to five skeletons jumped on the monster from behind, dragging him to ground. Once it was down, all the surrounding skeletons were beating it, tearing it apart by its flesh using their sharp bone fingers.

Meanwhile Izuku faced off against Shigaraki. The villain's eyes were wide, Izuku couldn't tell if he was intrigued or angry.

"Kid, are you sure about being a hero?" He asked, stepping closer. "If you come with us now, I'll forgive all the things you have done today. If you don't, I will kill you." His eyes were filled with wonder now. "And I'm going to enjoy it so much!"

"Kill me? How?" Izuku lifted his arms, as if challenging him. "Your quirk is erased, your beast is being torn apart, your portal guy took a sudden flight lesson, and the small fry you brought with you is indisposed of."

Izuku stepped closer to the villain, who stepped back. "You killed so many people, Shigaraki. I can see it in your eyes. And because of that, you are going to pay. It's time you went after them." He smiled. "I'll see you in hell."

He fired up One for All.

"MIDORIYA!" Somebody screamed. Izuku turned towards the noise, and there was Tsuyu, standing at the edge of the sairs, her eyes filled with…

Fear?

And for a moment, Izuku felt his heart stop. What? What is he doing? No he can't. He can't kill somebody.

 _Crash._

Izuku felt the pain rip through his body. He screamed, and fell to the ground.

Turning to the side, through the pain he saw the Nomu standing there, unharmed amidst broken skeletons. Unharmed. How was he unharmed? Izuku saw his flesh being ripped off. He saw it. What the actual hell?

And the Nomu was looking at Aizawa sensei, who was looking at Shigaraki, who…

Who had his hand on Izuku's head.

Well, shit.

Izuku willed his remaining skeletons to help, and they got Shigaraki off him and held him down, while Izuku collected all his power and made a dash towards the Nomu, firing up One for All again. He had to take care of that thing before it took care of Aizawa sensei.

But, at that moment, he felt his legs buckle under him, and his power seemed to suddenly just up and leave. What? What was going on? This wasn't supposed to happen, he was stronger than this. He was the strongest. He wasn't weak, why, why did he feel weak suddenly?

"No no no" Izuku muttered, but stayed on his feet, fighting the sudden tiredness that seemed to seep into his bones. If he didn't get rid of the Nomu, it would kill Aizawa sensei, and then the villains win.

But Izuku was so tired. Why was he so tired?

He won't make it.

In that moment, the door of USJ burst open, and right there, was All Might. And he wasn't smiling.

Izuku fell to his knees in relief, and his control slipped. All the power and confidence and strength drained out of him, and he was left there, kneeling on the ground, all alone. He was hurt, in pain, and mostly, he was disgusted. The scent of decay made his stomach churn, and he almost threw up once again. What did he do?

And more importantly… What did he almost do?

The next thing he knew, All Might was carefully lifting him and placing him in a spot farther from the villains. Then he grabbed Tsuyu and Mineta (Who were standing at the edge of the stairs now, eyes wide and uncomprehending), and placed them next to him.

Then he brought Aizawa to them as well.

"Don't worry." He said. "Because I am here."

Izuku, at that point, passed out.

* * *

 **Oooookay holy crap, I rewrote this chapter like three times and I still don't like it that much. I hope it didn't disappoint, I tried my best to make the wait worth it.**

 **Please tell me it didn't disappoint xD**

 **Oh and since it was rewritten and edited too many times, it may have mistakes that made you go like uhm what? if you found a mistake like that, scream at me, I'll see if I can correct it :D**

 **Also, I know some (Most?) of you wanted the whole class to find out right now, but I decided I would take it one step at a time, as it would make the impact on one individual less, and if they find out at separate times, I can concentrate on one person's reaction more. I hope that explanation makes it up for the fact that most of the class didn't find out :D**

 **And again, thank you for the reviews, they are, as always, the light of my day. And just to clear up: Izuku is not a demigod, just has a quirk that resembles a Hades child :D (To be honest I actually entertained the idea of Izuku finding out his father is a villain names Hades who had a death quirk that was made after four generations of quirk marriages, but that idea got way too complicated and just didn't fit so I got rid of it early on xD).**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading, see you next time I find time to update!**


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